Hundreds of protesters took to the streets yesterday urging Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to step down, on the eve of his public accounting for illegal structures at his home on The Peak.

Leung is expected to be questioned by lawmakers from across the political spectrum for at least 1-1/2 hours in the Legislative Council today.

A motion of no confidence is to be tabled in Legco on Wednesday and there has been talk of impeachment proceedings.

In the first big public protest over the saga, about 400 people - holding placards and chanting "CY step down" - said they had had enough of a "cheating" chief executive.

"Leung has no integrity at all. He just cannot stop lying," one protester said. "I still remember how he attacked [chief executive rival] Henry Tang Ying-yen about his basement during an election forum [in March]."

At the time, Leung criticised Tang for having a luxurious 2,300sq ft illegal basement under his Kowloon Tong house. The attack has come back to haunt Leung after he admitted, on November 23, having a much smaller, unused illegal extension in the basement of his own house at 4 Peel Rise, among several other illegal structures. It was the first time he had owned up to the structures since the media disclosed the unauthorised works five months ago.

Leung said he realised the existence of the extension as early as October last year - drawing criticism that he had "cheated" in the election by attacking Tang.

Lawmaker Wu Chi-wai of the Democratic Party, which organised the march from Chater Garden to the government headquarters in Admiralty, said pan-democrats were planning further action, including a rally on January 1 which pan-democrats say they expect will draw hundreds of thousands of people.

Wu, the initiator of the motion of no confidence to be tabled on Wednesday, said his party would also support impeachment of Leung.

Radical factions in the pan-democratic camp, including People Power and the League of Social Democrats, formed an "Anti-CY Alliance". They said they would mobilise supporters to surround Government House in Central, where Leung lives, after the January 1 rally.

Leung's allies, including Executive Council convenor Lam Woon-kwong and Lew Mon-hung - a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - said the public hoped the new administration would be given time and space to roll out its policies.

"We can criticise Leung over his handling of the illegal structures and he should apologise for that. But it is irrelevant to what he has done [for the city] after he became chief executive," said Lew.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Leung urged to quit over illegal structures saga

What I want now is to hope that the Hongkongers can focus on the big things but not this kind of trivial thing. Yes, we can see the integrity of one person but let's give chance to him, probably. At the same time, we give chance to ourselves. We will loose more if we agrue this and that forever. I am really sad to see how the Hongkongers act now. I know that they are angry but please focus on the big and long-term things.

Camel Dec 11th 201212:59am

You would think, now the HK Government finally is able to do its work and daily task to solve problems the society is facing with the increasing prices and tough social tasks. But no, some individuals think it is fun and they need to force CY to resign over an issue 99.99% of HKner haven't given a sh..t in the past as everybody have been doing it and still doing it. How hypercritical is that? Don't tell me there is not a hidden agenda behind this. All this protest is goaling to get disturbance in the government and to handicap the actions for the improvement of HK. All this selfrighterous individuals should name an altenate canditade to take the place. The incompetent Albert Ho? He wouldn't survive 1 month politically in the position and will take HK down with him together. Long Hair? ridiculous! What a nightmare.

i don't know why he need to quit for this trivial matter? you guys are asking a Chief Executive to quit just because his home had some structure which he was not fully aware and was illegal? haha very funny. Firstly look at your law. you know what? if this would have happened in England, no one would have bothered to investigate it. Hong Kong community is strange.

req Dec 10th 20122:14pm

I must've missed something... Did HK people get so uptight about government transparency and responsibility before the handover? Was this a regular feature before 97'? Why didn't the discontent just head over to the UK?

Byebye Dec 10th 201212:46pm

It is sad to see priorities are so much muddled up in this so called "world class" city. What are you trying to achieve through the resignation of the Chief Executive? So far he has done a few constructive things, give him time to prove himself.

Yes, leave him alone to focus on his policies which he has started, but forced to the back burners by these idiotic lawmakers with a hidden agenda.

for whom the be... Dec 10th 201212:15pm

I just wonder whether either convenor of the Executive Council,Lam Woon-kwong or delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference,Lew Mon-hung can represent most Hongkongers' wishes at present.Probably most Hongkongers just cannot place their trust on a Chief Executive whose integrity is in doubt and words can never be believed/trusted.How can such a leader's policies be rolled out smoothly in coming years ? Maybe an early stepping down from his present post is the best option for Leung Chun-ying and we Hongkongers who can then have another better option for the top post since Hongkong is still full of talents. Right ?

No one really cares about the CE's integrity, as long as he can deliver on his policies and improves the livelihood of HK people. As the saying goes: "the cat which can keep mice away is a good cat whether it is black or white". Give him time to do his work and then judge afterwards, instead of constantly focusing of the illegal structures and attacking his integrity.

Same feelings to the oppositions, Pan dems. Nothing but childish noise makers with no substance. How can we let them lead us to a better future? Makes Leung a much better choice at least for now.

tfung Dec 10th 201211:49am

All HKers do now is nitpick and try to find fault in every single thing the government or the CE does.... Who the hell cares about these stupid illegal structures... Just get it fixed and get it over and done with.. If these stupid protests happened in other countries, even places that are "free", like in the US or Europe, you can be sure these protesters would have all been thrown in jail already... HK government (and the Chinese one) are way too lenient on these idiots who try to protest about everything and anything...

Not even a majority hkers. Just some small group of pipsqueaks making high pitched whining noises. Worse of all, this press has got nothing better to report. Everyone's just doing their day job really... I remember that time they brought up news on tv about pigs captured in HK island and Kwun Tong... Yay.. keep it up people!

Either both of you miss the point or else you work for Elsie Leung and it is just the rest of us who don't understand rule of law. The CE is "chosen" by less than 1% of HK residents. When first the front-running candidate and now the chosen candidate are both found to have violated the law, the lack of material consequence brings into focus how undemocratic the HK political system really is. That the CE does not simply come clean and ask for clemency but instead maintains a thick face while details trickle out only aggravates the sense of discontent. What you dismiss as trivial is nothing less than the principle of equal treatment under law.

However undemocratic we are, we are still much more less corrupted than the democratic institutions of the West with a handful of scandanvian's countries being an exception. Perhaps you have your head up your butt hole for a while, but not very long ago the USA re elected a President who got their country into a illegal war, sending its soldiers to die for nothing and to murder more than a million of Iraqis and got their whole country into a tremendous debt trap & he got relected. A litle closer to home we got Taiwan, who re elected a leader who is so obviousily corrupted by siffoning billions away from Gov't coffers. In Europe , Greece, Italy, Spain, etc is hardly doing any better. This have nothing to with HK being democratic or not, its just a bunch of opposition lawmakers trying to cause as much havoc as possible, not matter how trival and idiotic it may seem. I fail to see any logic in your rant, BTW don't Albert Ho and a few of these opposition lawmakers have illegal structures too and exposed already? O i forgot, they are not the CE and they work under the banner of Democracy, we can certainly let them pass, unlike wolfy CY.

Yeah well, did they vote for fat pang? I see much progress, after more than a century of imperial rule China has allowed Hong Kong people a greater degree of control of their own lives. Laws are defined by qualified people, not by a mob and certainly not journalists.A lot of people had illegal structures, you don't see em' all resign their daytime job do you?

ianson Dec 10th 20128:49am

See if this helps you understand, Rizkinglychee. You find that your domestic helper has been routinely lying and cheating you. You fire her forthwith. You view and sign a lease on an apartment with three bedrooms but when you get the keys, one of the rooms has been bricked up. You report the matter to the police and call your lawyer. C Y Leung is your leader (not that you had any say in that) and you know that he's been cheating (first) and lying (second, third, fourth, ...). What do you do about it?

curio Dec 10th 20128:35am

Give the man a chance to show what he can do first! If he is ousted, who can replace him? Long hair? Albert Ho? I for one would be really worried if that happens.

rizkinglychee Dec 10th 20126:04am

i don't understand how this petty issue can lead to the ousting of a leader? who cares! let him get some work done. i'd rather ask for his impeachment if he doesn't stand up for hong kong then because he has an extra wall. ridiculous.